At 10.77 acres, it is the smallest Essex County park
Franklin Murphy, who owned a varnish company, campaigned for open space for his workers
The landscape firm of Frederick Law Olmsted began design in 1907
Many years to move the last homeowner in the park
If it had not been for SPARK, and their large community support, this Park might have been a baseball stadium. In 199, (Former Councilman) consented to the Yankees’ announcer’s plan to build a baseball stadium for a minor league team. This did not fly over well with the residents, and SPARK went to work. After countless community meetings, letters to city, county, and state officials, and thousands of petition signatures, the plan to build the baseball stadium was thrown out. Instead, the city renovated Riverbank Park into what you see there.
